Now Or Never
by sharpieufp
Summary: Danny knew that Opera sponsored by Vlad Masters was going to be a bad idea. But Sam did not listen. Now Danny is in a coma, and there is a strange white haired 'Phantom' appearing out of nowhere with Vlad? Will do an extended version on a later date.
1. Chapter 1: Phantom of the Opera

A/N: Ok, so I know NOTHING basically about Danny Phantom, but this is a Get Well/Christmas/Thank You Present for my friend Rygel-n. I watched, I believe…two episodes? One was about some sort of cloning thing, where Danny got a clone named Danielle, and a 'fake-out-make-out episode'.

With what little I know about Danny Phantom…I begged her to let me do something else, but this is what she wanted…and if you know Ry, she's a stubborn child who always gets what she wants…

So if this is slightly AUish don't blame me. I'm trying my best off of what I've seen, the fan fictions I've read, YouTube videos I've watched, and what Rygel-n has told me. Its not on the air anymore, so I'm trying to find other places I can watch it…so let's hope Ry's obsession with the show pays off.

She won't look here, so I can post it here before I post it on Deviantart for her to read.

Phantom Planet never happened here, or at least we're pretending it didn't. Never watched it, but Rygel-n had to tell me ALL about it anyway…so…here we go…

* * *

CHAPTER ONE: PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

Danny sat down with a groan. He looked out the back window of the 'Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle' as their house disappeared into the background. He let out an exaggerated sigh, causing his older sister to roll her eyes.

"Its just a musical, Danny. Its nothing to get worked up about." She said matter-of-factly.

Danny pouted, folding his arms. Everything was matter-of-factly with Jazz. He rested his head down onto his hand. And that was why she was a straight 'A' honor student, and he a 'C-' Average student. Not that it mattered, he had another reason for bad grades.

He was a super hero.

He grinned to himself, ok, so maybe not 'super hero', but he was a hero nonetheless. Due to an accident over a year ago, he gained ghost powers. Now he was a Halfa, half ghost, half human. Which was kind of awkward when he lives in a family of Ghost Hunters. He was not only Daniel Fenton, High School Student…he was also Danny Phantom, Ghost Child.

Danny looked up and saw Jazz glaring at him. He sighed and folded his arms defiantly, "Yeah well. If you haven't heard, the Box Ghost 'invaded' some cardboard factory on the edge of town last night, and 'Danny Phantom' was supposed to kick him out today."

"Phantom! Where?" Their father gasped, turning to look at them, wrenching the wheel sideways without thinking.

The Fenton Ghost Assault Vehicle weaved out of its lane and pounded through the shoulder. Their mother quickly reached over and straightened out the vehicle before they rolled onto the sidewalk.

"Dad!" Jazz gasped,

"Sorry sweetie!" Jack Fenton laughed, "I thought I heard the word Phantom." His face went comically serious, "And I will let nothing stop me from pulling that ghost apart…molecule by molecule."

Danny rolled his eyes. If he only knew…

They pulled up at their school and Maddie turned around to look at them, "Now you kids have fun! Oh, and STRAIGHT home after school. I don't want you to be late."

Danny grinned. Oh he'd still make it home before the stupid musical. He was the one with Ghost Powers after all. Jazz gave him a warning glare. Danny ignored her and climbed out of the Assault Vehicle. Even though he had no idea how she found out, Jazz was one of the three living people in the world that knew his secret. The other two were his best friends, Samantha Manson, and Tucker Foley.

Thankfully, they were waiting outside for his arrival. Sam gave Danny a warm smile, which was weird since she was Goth, and she usually did not like to display her emotions. With him though, it was different. He just looked at her for a few seconds, forgetting all about the stupid musical, and the ridiculous cries for attention from the Box Ghost.

"Hi Danny." She said, staring back at him…Oh, oops. He was staring. He shook his head and smiled back at her, "Hi Sam."

"Oh come on guys!" Tucker snapped, looking up from the PDA, "I'm still here."

Sam and Danny looked away from each other, blushing. Jazz reached out and grabbed Danny's shoulder, "Remember Danny - NO ghost hunting tonight."

"But aren't we taking out the Box Ghost?" Tucker asked,

"Not tonight! You can take care of it." Jazz folded her arms, "Its Mom and Dad's anniversary tonight, and nothing is going to ruin it. Especially not Danny Phantom."

"Danny Phantom!"

The four turned around as Paulina, the most gorgeous girl in school, and her gang of jocks and cheerleaders approached the school.

"Hey Fentonious! Did I hear you defile the great Danny Phantom's name?" Dash, his personal bully, and the schools best Football Quarterback, growled.

"I didn't say anything!" Danny snapped.

Dash reached over and grabbed Danny by the front of the shirt.

"Dash!" Jazz gasped, "Violence is never necessary."

Dash looked over at Jazz and smiled. He gently placed Danny on the ground, "Sorry babe."

"Dash, are you coming?" Kwan asked, another Football player.

Dash gave Danny one final glare before following his groupies away.

"What's his problem?" Sam snapped, as Danny straightened out his shirt.

"Dash has been a full-out Danny Phantom Fan since the 'Crammer' incident." Danny sighed, as Jazz walked off towards the school.

"Jeez Danny." Tucker snickered, "Stuck with the 'rents tonight?"

"Yeah. I'm stuck going to some stupid musical." Danny rolled his eyes.

"An musical!" Sam's voice sounded higher then she meant to sound. She blushed and looked away, "I mean, its not like I like them or anything, but I heard that Phantom of the Opera is playing tonight and its my favorite…"

Danny smiled, seeing straight through her, "Want to come with me? Jazz is taking Jayden, so I think it would be alright."

Sam beamed, "Oh…ok. I mean, if its not any trouble!"

Danny had to laugh at how she struggled to keep her voice sounding indifferent. She glared at him darkly as he laughed, her eyes locking on him. Tucker made a face.

"So after school we take out the Box Ghost, and then I'll fly us back home in time to go." Danny nodded.

Sam imagined him holding her in his arms as they flew through the air and blushed deeper. "Yeah. Sure."

"I AM THE BOX GHOST! BEWARE!"

"Yeah, yeah. We've heard it before." Danny smirked. He was feeling cocky. Mostly because the Box Ghost was really no threat, and they had taken him down countless times before. He pulled the Fenton Thermos, a device created to capture ghosts, from his belt, and opened the lid, a blue beam of energy blasted from the Thermos, a smaller white beam circled around it, sucking the Box Ghost inside it. Danny closed the lid as the Box Ghost disappeared into the Thermos.

"BEWARE!" He called one more time before the lid was fully closed.

"Yeah, beware this." Danny smiled, throwing the Thermos down at Sam.

Sam looked down at her watch, "Hey Danny. Its almost seven. We'd better get going."

"I'll walk home." Tucker offered, hoping onto his electric scooter.

Danny was grateful for his friends generosity as he watched him disappear down the road. He smiled and turned back to Sam. She looked back at Danny Phantom with a thoughtful look. She had no idea what it was, but she loved him in his ghost form. Even though that's insane, because unlike video games and comic books where a the two different appearances were two different personas, Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom were the same person, just different in looks. It must be the white hair and black jumpsuit. It almost looked gothic to her, and that pleased her.

"W-what?" Danny asked, blinking his large glowing green eyes.

Sam blushed, realizing that she had been staring at him again. "Um…are we going?"

"Right." Danny gasped. He scooped her up in his arms and jumped up into the air.

She felt the wind beat against her as they flew. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, a mixed smell of ectoplasm and soap filled her nostrils as she laid her head next to his chest. She loved that smell…Danny's smell…she couldn't stop herself from thinking, if they made a perfume of his scent, she'd buy a life supply of it.

Danny made them go intangible, she knew because of the familiar tingling feeling she felt whenever he did that, and the fact that if she looked up at him, she could see right through him. He flew them through the wall of his bedroom, landing gracefully by the window. She felt a pang of disappointment as he placed her on the ground.

"I um…" She muttered, "Should change. Its a formal event after all."

Danny nodded, "Jazz can help you."

She cursed at herself for even thinking it, but what she really wanted to do was change right here, in front of him. But instead, she nodded silently and walked off to the Jazz's bedroom down the hall.

Danny watched her go before locking the door behind her. He sighed and closed the blinds, before walking over to his closet. Buried in the back was the one suit he owned. He grimaced at he looked at it before trying it on. Shockingly, it still fit, but he could not figure out how to tie the tie…

Someone knocked on the door and he jumped.

"Danny? Danny are you decent?" Jazz called through the door.

Danny walked over to the door and unlocked it, "Yeah. Great timing Jazz."

She frowned when she saw him, "You can't possible go like that." He barely heard her, he was shocked at what she was wearing.

He had never in his entire sixteen years of life had he ever though his sister as attractive, but he was impressed, and slightly proud at how she dolled herself up. Suddenly, Jay did not seem good enough for his sister.

Jazz was wearing a green and emerald cocktail dress, which clashed lovely with her orange hair, that was lightly curled and floated down over her shoulders and down her back in waves, making her blue eyes stand out like sapphires. Even though she was naturally taller then him, with those black stilettos, she toppled him. He frowned and looked down at himself, suddenly feeling underdressed.

Jazz pushed him away from the door, leading him out into the hall and over to the bathroom, "I can't let you go looking like this. Especially not when you have a date."

"Its not a date." Danny blushed, "And why are we even going to a musical? Mom and Dad don't seem the type…"

"Vlad invited them. Or Mom actually." She stated. Figures. She ignored his glare and continued, "He was imperative that you come along as well, and she said since it was her anniversary, she wanted Dad and I to come along as well. So he gave us tickets, as well as two extras for guests."

Vlad's reasons confused him. Vlad must be up to something…and probably not just trying to get a Date with his mother. Vlad was a collage friend of Jack and Maddie's. But Jack caused an accident that destroyed Vlad's life, giving him Ghost Powers like Danny. Since the moment he met him, Vlad has been trying to seduce his mother, and win him over as well. For some reason, he thought that having a Halfa for a son as well would be wonderful.

He shook his head as he allowed her to tie his tie, and straighten out his dress shirt. He felt like such a phony dressed up like this. She put gold clasps on his cuffs and grabbed a brush. He groaned as she grabbed a bottle of hair gel…he did not like where this was going.

By the time an hour passed, she finally felt finished with him. She stepped back to admire her work. Danny turned towards the mirror and had to smile. He looked pretty sharp. His black hair was slicked back, making his own blue eyes stand out, and the black and white contrasted brilliantly with his pale skin.

"And remember." She snapped, "No going ghost tonight, or I'll kill you."

Danny smiled, "Yeah…right."

"Jazz! Jay is here!" Maddie called from downstairs. Jazz gasped and seemed to forget all about Danny standing there. She hurried from the room to make her grand entrance downstairs. Danny made a face in the mirror. He did not need to see that. Smiling to himself, he thought about going ghost, but then again, it would ruin his outfit and Jazz would be horrified.

"Danny! Come down here please!"

Danny quickly looked himself over one more time, and then slipped downstairs. Maddie was busy shooting pictures of Jazz standing next to an attractive white-blond haired boy, with a single blue stripe down the side.

Jay was a Ghost…sort of. He was a being that Danny had come to know as an 'In Between'. - Basically, the real Jayden was lying in a coma somewhere dying, and his spirit had been separated from his body. Being an In-Between, a human form was easy for him, though Danny still had to sneak up to the Op-Center and deactivate the weapons so the house did not attack him.

Sadly, Danny either wished for Jay to recover and be human again, or die and join them as a ghost. He knew Jay would not cause them any trouble, and would make a great member to the team, human or not. He hated himself for thinking that, but being an In-Between was painful. The Spirit felt all the pain the body did, but was helpless to stop it. Most of them spent the time praying for death, or even killing their bodies so they could move on. Luckily, Jay wasn't as suicidal. He was struggling to get better, which hurt Jazz because whenever he was on the mend, the In-Between Jay would disappear whenever the body woke up. And they had no idea where Jay's body was, or what it looked like.

Jay looked over at Danny and winked one of his murky-silver eyes, trademarks of an In-Between. Luckily, his parents were only interested in full ghosts, and not half-dead people. So they never did any research on anything else, and only thought his eyes to be a birth defect. The man had his arm gently draped around Jazz's shoulders as Maddie shot picture after picture of them.

"Hey Jay!" Jack cheered, "Want to take over? I want a family photo!"

Danny looked at his parents and nearly doubled over in shock. His father wore an orange suit, much the same colour as his jumpsuit, His graying hair was also slicked back, making him look twice his age. Maddie as well, was wearing a blue mermaid gown, the same colour as her own jumpsuit. Her hair was curled, and pinned back with beautiful barrettes. It looked strange since the outfit made her look younger then she was, not older.

"Oh! Great idea Jack!" Maddie gasped, "Danny, get over here." She handed the camera to Jay. He had to struggle to get the energy to solidify his hand enough to hold something. But the young man made no complaint, he held the camera up as Jack pulled Maddie close to him, and beckoned Jazz and Danny over to them.

"Smile!" Jay grinned. Danny frowned…how could he smile when he felt so phony and standing next to his overly dressed family?

"Come on Danny! Smile for us!" Jay smirked. Danny sighed. Naturally he'd single him out…most ghosts, - whether In-Betweens, Halfas, or full-fledged ghosts did. His mother glared at him, and he forced a smile on his face as Jay took the picture.

"Ok!" Maddie cheered, "Sam! Come on down now!"

Danny heard Sam's name called and immediately grew excited. He turned to the staircase and waited for his friend to descend. His heart nearly stopped beating…it wasn't his childhood friend that walked down towards them…it was a Gothic Goddess.

Sam was wearing a black and red 'vampire-styled' dress, reaching straight to the ground. She had a fishnet shawl draped over her arms, and dark black and purple make-up. For some reason, Danny could not even think as she walked towards him. He just gaped at her, his mouth slightly open.

"So. You ready or what?" Sam asked as she stopped in front of him,

"Huh?" Danny asked, snapping out of his perverted thoughts.

"I said are you ready to do this?" She blushed, trying to avoid his gaze.

"If you mean sitting through a boring performance, then yeah." He sighed. Suddenly wishing he could sneak in a video game.

"Wait! I need to get a photo! Put your arms around each other." Maddie cooed.

"This isn't prom Mom." Jazz snapped,

"Yeah, but we won't see Danny dressed up again until he graduates." Jack replied, earning a dark glare from Danny.

A knock sounded at the door, and Danny moved to get it, happy for the distraction. His happiness fled the moment he opened the door. "Vlad." He said coldly.

"Daniel my boy! How are you?" Vlad said merrily

"Better before you showed up." Danny snapped.

He pushed past the boy and walked over to Maddie, "And if it isn't the beautiful Maddie. How are you?"

"Fine thank you." She said coldly, crossing her arms,

"Vlady!" Jack cheered, throwing his arms around the man, "How great is it that we get to see an Op-era together?"

"I can't wait." Vlad said darkly, pulling away from Jack and giving Danny a warm look, "Can we Daniel?"

Danny folded his arms and stood firmly next to Sam. It took all his will power not to go ghost and kick the shit out of him.

A bad feeling swelled in the middle of Danny's gut. He quickly looked over at Sam, and by the look on her face, he knew she felt it too.

Vlad smiled and stepped back outside, leaving the door open so everyone could get a view of the giant limo waiting outside, "And who knows? Maybe…a real Phantom will join us at the show."

* * *

So this is chapter one…did I do good? Is it anything like its supposed to be? I want to show Rygel-n how good I improved because of her help! Yeah, she did not help me write this, so its all a surprise!

Hm…I wonder what's Vlad up too?

There! Thank you for your help on fixing this chapter!


	2. Chapter 2: Masters of Destruction

CHAPTER TWO: MASTERS OF DESTRUCTION

Danny and Sam sat in the stands of the theater as the seats around them slowly filled up with hundreds of people.

Danny sighed and rested his chin in his palm. Sam elbowed him in the side, "Cheer up Danny! You'll love it! I promise."

Danny rolled his eyes, "Yeah. Love it like homework or a test."

"Daniel!"

Danny growled, "Speaking of things I hate."

Vlad rested his hands on the back of Danny's chair, "I hope you enjoy the show."

"I doubt it." Danny countered,

"Oh you will. The show really is to DIE for." Vlad smiled, putting emphasis on the word die. He turned away from Danny and walked towards his mother, "And Maddie. I really do hope you'll enjoy it."

Maddie grabbed Jack's hand and gave Vlad a viper-glare, "We'll see."

Vlad smiled and walked away as the lights started to dim. The atmosphere in the theater darkened as well. For some reason, that bad feeling seemed to intensify. He felt that familiar shiver as a stream of blue breath came from his mouth.

"Ghost sense?" Danny whispered. He looked around, there was no sign of any ghosts, nor was there anywhere to go to change. He groaned in spite of himself and turned to look at Sam. Her eyes were fixed on the stage as the opera started.

"Welcome honored guests!" Vlad said loudly into a microphone, all eyes in the over crowded theater turned to look at him, everyone fell silent. He waited just to make sure all attention was indeed on him before continuing, "I, Vlad Masters is proud to bring you a masterpiece production that you will NEVER forget. Please sit back and enjoy…The Phantom Of The Opera!"

Questions whirled around in his mind, like what was Vlad up to? What was his goal? Why would he sponsor a play like this? What was his real reason for all this…

The questions played through his mind without any answers. It was a few seconds before he realized the play had started.

A collectors piece indeed. Every piece exactly as she said. Will you still play when all the rest of us are dead?

Lot 666 then - A chandelier in pieces. Some of you may recall, a strange affair…of the phantom of the opera. A mystery never fully explained…

Danny tried to listen, to pay attention to the actors on the stage, but the bad feeling that possessed him lingered. His eyes drifted back to Sam, he just looked at her, not really thinking about anything. She seemed absorbed into the play. He looked around, everyone seemed absorbed in the play.

He heard a large cracking sound and a small piece of plaster and dust fell down on his head. He looked up and saw the old ceiling of the Opera House, a large crack snaked its way over the painted roof.

"Hey Sam." Danny whispered, shaking her lightly,

"Hm? What?" She asked, turning to look at him with an annoyed look,

"How old is this place anyway?" He asked, turning back to look at the ceiling.

"Its old. Designed back in when Europe was in the Victorian Age, I believe. Why?" She asked,

"Just wondering." He whispered.

The play continued, but Danny's eyes were not on the actors. He shivered as his ghost sense breathed out of his mouth again. This time, Sam saw it.

"Ghost?" She asked,

"Yeah…but I don't see it." Danny replied, rubbing his arms.

Then, just as expected, Plasmious, Vlad's ghost form, burst out from behind the curtains. The actors screamed and ran from the stage, and the audience went into a panicked frenzy. Plasmious laughed as he watched them scramble for the exits.

"Danny." Sam warned,

"Cover me." Danny snapped, ducking beneath the seats. Sam threw her shawl over him as the familiar blue light engulfed him.

Danny Phantom phased through the shawl and jumped up in the air, floating above the people as they fled. His black hair was white again, and his blue eyes glowed green. As well as his suit disappeared and a spandex black jumpsuit now covered him, accented with white gloves, boots, and collar, as well as a giant white 'D' over his chest.

He looked down as Maddie grabbed Sam by the shoulders, "Sam? Where is Danny?"

"Uh…I believe he went to the bathroom a short minute ago…he's probably already gone." Sam lied, pointing towards the exit,

"Ghost!" Jack cried, pulling out a gun he had hidden somewhere in his suit. Maddie pulled out a smaller version for herself.

"You kids get out of here!" She yelled over the mayhem.

"Gone!" Sam smiled as Jazz and Jay got up to leave as well. Jazz pulled out a Fenton Thermos she had been hiding herself and followed Sam away from the seats.

Danny flew towards Plasmious, landing on the stage in front of him, "Nice try, Plasmious, but you don't pull off a good Phantom."

"No." Plasmious smiled, raising an Eyebrow, "That's your job, Danny Phantom."

"Very funny." Danny snapped, shooting an ectoplasm beam at the other, sending Plasmious flying back through the curtains. The old cloth ripped from its rod and went flying back with the older Halfa, covering the Half-Ghost completely. Danny smiled in spite of himself, he leapt back into the air, "I heard of taking the house down, but isn't that a bit extreme?"

Plasmious phased through the fabric and floated up as well, "Now Daniel, theater puns?" He launched his own ball of ectoplasm at the boy, it soared past Danny's head and hit one of the old pillars, blasting it to pieces.

Danny looked behind him as it fell to the empty seats below, "Ha! Missed me!"

"Did I?" Plasmious smiled, shooting another ball at him. Danny dodged in the opposite direction, and the ball passed by him, knocking down another pillar. The roof groaned and cracks snaked their way across the old plaster ceiling. Dust shook loose and fell below, along with some pieces of plaster.

"Danny!" Jazz warned, "Careful or you'll knock this ancient piece of art down!"

Danny turned towards them, "Get out of here! I'll handle this."

"But!" Sam snapped,

"Go!" Danny yelled, "Before this entire place falls on you."

Sam was about to protest, but she knew better. If the place were to fall, all Danny would have to do is go intangible and the falling building would just fall through him. He would not have to worry about getting crushed. She nodded in disappointment. She hated when she did not get to help in the action.

Jay nearly pushed the two girls out of the building as it groaned under the pressure. Danny waited until they were out before turning around, just as Plasmious launched another ectoplasm beam. Danny felt the beam hit him and he was thrown backwards into the empty seats. The seats broke away underneath him as he slid through the rows. He groaned and leaned up, at least being ghost had its advantages, in the human realm, he did not feel pain from real-world items. The only pain he felt was from Plasmious's beam.

Plasmious quickly launched another one, but Danny swiftly raised a shield, blocking Plasmious's attack. He countered and sent the other Halfa flying backwards into another pillar. The old pillar shattered under the impact and collapsed.

"Oops." Danny gasped as the building gave a final shutter, before half of it collapsed in. He turned around as the front half of the theater fell in, blocking the entrances, and collapsing the high rise seating. The balconies crushed the empty seats below. The only thing left standing was the half covering the stage.

Danny looked around, there was no sign of Plasmious anywhere. He gritted his teeth and landed down on the stage. The remanding half of the theater groaned under the strain, and more dust and plaster fell around him, causing a thick mist, blocking out most of his vision around him. He raised his hand and it started glowing, the green glow added an eerie feeling to his crumbling surroundings, causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand up. He bit his bottom lip…Plasmious had to be hiding somewhere.

Something grabbed his leg. He gasped and looked down just in time to see Plasmious's gloved hand gripped tightly over his ankle. Before he could make a move, Plasmious pulled him down under the stage and was thrown down into a pile of stage props.

Danny gasped as the wind was knocked out of him. He tried leaning up, but Plasmious slammed his foot down into Danny's chest. Danny coughed and grabbed Plasmious's ankle, trying to pull it off of him.

"Now Daniel." Plasmious smiled, "This won't hurt a bit."

"W-what?" Danny gasped, his eyes widening, "What are you planning?"

Plasmious smiled and revealed both a modified Fenton Thermos, and a metallic glove.

The modified Fenton Thermos was black and red in colour, instead of silver and green, and the metallic glove had long green fingers that glowed. They looked dagger sharp and painful. Danny grimaced and closed his eyes.

"A wonderful invention your father made." Plasmious smiled as he looked at it, "Though just like EVERYTHING else Jack makes, it could use some improvements. Like my Masters Thermos?"

"Real original." Danny's voice sounded strained as he fought for oxygen.

"Really? You think so?" Plasmious grinned, "Then you'll love what it does."

Danny went intangible and pulled himself through the ground, raising up a good distance away from Plasmious. He raised his hand to shoot an ectoplasm ball, but instead, the stage collapsed over top of him. He screamed as the unexpected weight pulled him down to the ground.

"You're making this easy for me aren't you, Daniel?" Plasmious grinned. Before Danny could move, he pulled the glove over his hand, and reached out towards Danny.

Sam could hear Danny's scream as the rest of the building collapsed. She watched in terror as the entire building fell to the ground. Several faces turned as well. They all heard a pain filled scream.

"Vladdy's still in there!" Jack gasped,

"Danny!" Jazz screamed, running forward towards the wreckage,

Maddie walked forwards and grabbed Jazz's shoulders, "Where is Danny?"

No one answered.

The panic was clear on Maddie's face, "Where is my baby boy?"

When no one answered her again, she went running towards the wreck, "Danny? Danny if you can hear me answer me!"

She started digging through the piles of plaster, looking for any sign of her son. Sam turned away from her and looked at Jazz and Jay, "Danny should have phased through that by now."

"Maybe he's still fighting Vlad or something?" Jay said worriedly, looking at the rubble, "I can probably go intangible and look if you want."

"Too many people. They'd see you." Jazz argued, "Come on, let's help Mom dig."

From near the center of the rubble, a piece of plaster shook. Maddie looked over and gasped. She, and several other people ran over and pulled and pushed it over. Vlad Masters gasped as he was pulled out of the rubble, his suit was ripped and torn and his hair had fallen from its ponytail. He dragged an unconscious Danny behind him.

Sam felt horror strike her at the scene, not just because it was so unrealistic, but because something did not seem right.

Vlad picked Danny up and cradled him in his arms as he walked over to Maddie. Danny's skin was so deathly pale, he looked dead. His clothing was shredded and his hair was tangled around his head. Sam ran over to them as Jack grabbed Danny from the smaller man.

"Danny?" Maddie gasped, she reached out and pushed the hair from his face.

"Someone call a paramedic!" Jazz screamed, and several people pulled out their cell phones.

Jack gently put Danny on the ground, he looked so limp, and was barely breathing. Sam reached out to grab his hand, it was already cold. The panic spread…what happened to him? What did Vlad do? She looked over at him as he cradled a strange Thermos to his chest, an evil smirk across his face.

Two ambulances arrived, but Vlad insisted that he will be fine. He would have his own personal doctor check him over later for any injuries. He took one last look at Danny as the paramedics hoisted him onto a stretcher and pulled him into the ambulance.

Maddie turned to him and gave him a tight hug. He hugged her back, giving a dark look at Jack. Maddie looked Vlad in the face wiping her tears away, "Thank you Vlad…for saving my boy."

"Anything for you Maddie." Vlad whispered, moving her hand to help wipe away the tears, "Danny will be fine."

She nodded, then turned around to climb into the ambulance with her son.

Jack turned to the other three, "Come on, lets get into the Assault Vehicle and follow them."

Sam nodded, mentally stunned. How did that happen? How did Danny get hurt like that? This wasn't right…Vlad must have done something.

On the ride to the hospital, Sam quickly called Tucker, "Hey."

"Is the Opera over already?" Tucker replied. Sam heard the clicking and beeping of a video game in the background,

"Um…no, about that. Something happened?" Sam muttered,

"Did you and Danny ditch?" She could almost hear the disappointment in his voice,

"No. Plasmious showed up."

"Awe! So I missed all the action?"

"That…and Danny got hurt."

"Really? I'm really bummed I missed that"

"No Tucker…Danny got really hurt. They're taking him to the hospital."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, and Sam was worried that Tucker was not going to respond. Finally he asked, "H-how?"

"I don't know…" She looked up at Jack who was steering, but he was too fixed on the road. For once his usually peppy self was hidden under a mask of worry. She turned back to the phone and whispered, "He was Ghost for the fight…so I can't imagine him getting hurt like this."

"I don't get it."

Sam was about to respond when she saw the hospital approach, she quickly looked at Jazz's worried face and said, "Tucker…I have to go. We're at the hospital now."

"I'll be there in five."

Sam hung up and hurriedly climbed out of the Assault Vehicle, followed by Jazz and Jay. Poor Jayden looked so worried. He knew his real self was in there somewhere, but he had no idea where. They entered the hospital, and almost instantly, he disappeared. Jazz turned around, but there was no sign of him anywhere. She swallowed in worry and followed the others up to the desk.

"Fenton? He just arrived. He's in intensive care. Please wait in the waiting room for further notice." The clerk said. Jack nodded and walked over to the waiting room to take a seat.

"You think I could invent something that could help him?" He asked,

Jazz shook her head, "Just leave it to the doctors."

She worriedly looked at Sam, and Sam shrugged. Neither of them knew what happened, nor if modern medicine could help someone who's half-ghost. Tucker arrived shortly later, but it was still a few hours before they would let them see Danny.

Which Sam almost whished they hadn't.

Danny was lying in a hospital bed, dressed in the regular hospital gown. His eyes were closed, and there was a respirator attached to his mouth. His skin was still so deathly pale that it she almost felt like crying.

"There is no external or internal injuries." The doctor said, looking at Danny's chart, "My guess is that something must have hit his head hard enough to knock him into a coma."

Sam's heart constricted as her chest tightened. A coma? Seriously?

The doctor lead a sobbing Maddie to the bedside, "We're doing all we can. But since there are no injuries, we're moving him to our coma department."

Sam heard Jazz take a deep intake of breath. The coma department is where Jay's body could be…they had never been allowed in there since they did not have family in there, and technically, the Fenton's had never met Jay before.

"How long do you think he'll stay like this?" Jack asked,

"We have no idea. I guess it depends on your son." The doctor shook his head, "I'm sorry."

Maddie burst into tears and buried herself into Jack's chest.

Sam and Tucker stood there with blank faces. The doctors had no idea how long Danny would stay like that? What about the ghosts and ghost hunting? What would happen to 'Danny Phantom'?

The nurses wheeled Danny away, and Maddie, Jack, and Jazz followed. Sam couldn't move, she had never thought of this before. Danny was her best friend…never in her life had it crossed her mind of living without him.

Tucker reached up and grabbed her shoulder. He was the only one who knew how she truly felt about Danny…he was more then a friend to her, she was in love with him.

And now she followed him to the coma ward.

How fair was that? Danny was a hero…

It was not fair.

And Vlad was going to pay for it.

* * *

Ok, I decided to upload both of these chapters together just for play. Anyway, yeah. Poor Danny, I'm always so mean to the protagonist aren't I? Buahahaha! Oh well. Yeah, so am I doing ok? Following the DP guide book? I'm starting to want to watch it. Curse Ry and her obsessivness.

I'll continue with All I Couldn't Give later, because I want this done and on Deviantart for Christmas for Rygel-n. Basically, she doesn't read Danny Phantom fan fics. Says that none of them interest her…so I know she won't read it here till then.


	3. Chapter 3: Double D's

CHAPTER THREE: DOUBLE D'S

Three months had passed, and Danny was still in a coma. Sam hated it, without Danny Phantom to save the down, ghosts should have been causing chaos. Luckily though, there wasn't too much ghosts. They found it boring to be in Amity Park now that Danny Phantom wasn't there to protect it.

"Good morning sunshine!" Mr. Manson smiled as he pulled the blinds open, casting light down upon his only daughter.

Sam did not reply. She just pulled the blankets up higher, burying her head under them.

"Samantha." Her mother cooed, trying to pull the comforter down, "Sweetheart, we were wondering if you wanted to go to school today?"

"Why bother?" Sam snapped, burying her head under the pillow.

"Now Sam." Mr. Manson said a little to merrily for her liking. He put his hands matter-of-factly on his hips, "Your mother and I are just worried about you, that's all. It isn't natural for a girl your age to be cooped up in this room forever."

Sam wanted to leap at them and attack them. But she kept her anger boiled down. Since Danny went comatose, she had barely left her room, stopped answering calls from Tucker, and stopped going to school all together.

"Sam." Mrs. Manson said sharply, "You should go to school. I bet your friends are worried about you."

Sam threw a pillow at them, "I don't care about them!"

"I told you that Fenton kid was no good." Mr. Manson sighed, he shook his head.

Mrs. Manson glared at him, before turning back to Sam, "You should go see him."

And just watch him lay still in a bed? Not a chance.

"That's it young lady!" Mr. Manson snapped, "You're getting out of bed this instant!"

The doorbell rang. Both Mr. and Mrs. Manson looked up with an interested look.

"I wasn't expecting anybody?" Mr. Manson asked,

"Neither was I. We'll let the butler get it." Mrs. Manson shrugged.

The butler's voice came over the P.A. system, "Ms. Samantha, you have a guest."

Mrs. Manson's face lit up, "See! There is a perfect excuse to get out of bed. Now come on! You mustn't keep your guest waiting."

Sam groaned as she watched her parents leave. That's right…she had to get up now. If she didn't, they'd send her guest up to see her. They'd done it already for Tucker once before…

…Damn Tucker. She thought she already told him not to bother her. For Tucker, she did not even feel like getting dressed. She continued to lay there until her parents finally sent her guest up.

A knock sounded at the door. Sam jumped, Tucker never knocked. She leaned up, "C-come in?"

The door creaked open and an attractive brown haired boy walked in. He had a single blue streak down the side of his face, and his sharp hazel-brown eyes stared out at her. He was tall, and slender, but still in an attractive way. She immediately felt embarrassed to be in her pajamas in front of him.

"Um." He blushed, "Sorry. Want me to step out for you to get dressed?"

She nodded.

She hurriedly got dressed with whatever she could find and opened the door. The strange boy walked back in, the blush still visible on his pale cheeks. It looked as if he had been indoors for a while.

"Man. It took forever to find you." The boy sighed.

Sam recognized that voice. "Jay?"

The boy nodded, "Jayden Torres, age twenty-one. Only son to a powerful and wealthy couple. Went comatose four years ago in a limo accident." He shrugged, "I woke up last week. It wasn't hard to track down the Fenton's, since Fenton Works stands out, but you and Tucker are impossible to find."

"Doesn't Jazz know where I live?" Sam asked,

"Yeah, well she hasn't felt up to showing me anywhere. She was upset that you haven't come to see Danny…at all."

Sam looked away, "I just don't feel like going out."

Jay rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Now come on."

"Where are you taking me?" Sam asked,

"To the hospital. You're saying 'hi' to your boyfriend."

~*~

Vlad had no problem sneaking into the hospital. But it was sneaking into Danny's room that was going to be the problem. He waited for hours, but there was always someone by his bedside. Eventually he grew tired and sneaked up behind Jazz, and with one quick movement, he knocked her out and walked over to Danny's bedside and smiled at his handiwork.

"You and Danielle may have ruined my plans last time, but not this time." He smiled, he grabbed a syringe and shoved it into Danny's arm, "It'll be fine. You'll wake up shortly after I get this blood sample."

The door opened up, and Jay ran into the room, his body dropped to the floor as his ghost-self burst from it. His white-blond hair mixed with the blue streak as he roughly pushed Vlad away from Danny and into the wall.

"Wow…when could you do that?" Vlad smiled,

"Since I woke up." Jay growled, "Stay away from Danny!"

Vlad smiled, "Silly boy. I'm only trying to help Danny."

Sam folded her arms, "Help him?"

"If you call your attack dog off, I'll be glad to tell you." Vlad said deviously.

Jay slowly released his grip on Vlad's shirt before backing up.

Vlad smiled and straightened out his shirt.

Jay hurriedly walked back into his body, and climbed up off of the ground. He watched Vlad like a hawk, ready to jump at a moments notice. Vlad opened his mouth to speak, but instead slipped through the wall behind him. Jay cursed and broke free from his body again to chase him down.

Sam stood there for a few seconds, before moving Jay's body onto a chair so it looked like he fell asleep, and moving to sit across from Jazz next to Danny. Pain pulled at her chest as she stared at him. He looked so weak lying there in that bed. Sam instantly wished she had not come. As she sat there, looking at him with displeasure, she reached out and stroked his hair. It was an automatic response, one she did not even realize she was doing until afterwards. All she wanted was for him to open his eyes…

"Please Danny…wake up…wake…"

~*~

"…Up! Good morning Daniel!"

A boy opened his eyes. The world around him was spinning, and his entire body hurt. He ran a hand through his hair and groaned before leaning up and looking around. Slowly, the world stopped spinning and the haze started to clear away. He was in a strange white room…

"W-Where am I?" He muttered groggily, he looked around, there was hospital equipment, and a beautiful black haired girl asleep in a chair next to him. He reached out to touch her, but everything vanished.

"Having a dream are we son?"

The boy blinked as the scene around him disappeared, and he was now lying on a hard slab table in a laboratory. He groaned and swung his legs off of the table, "Huh?"

"Good morning Daniel." Vlad said, walking up to the boy, "How are you feeling?"

"My entire body aches." The boy said automatically,

"That's normal. I mean, your body took a nasty beating when the ceiling fell on it." Vlad nodded. He looked the boy up and down, "Can you see me?"

"Yes."

"How is your hearing?"

"Um…good I think?"

"Here." He handed him a chocolate bar, "And taste?"

"Delicious!" The boy cheered, gobbling it up, "I'm starving!"

"Who are you?" Vlad asked, circling around the boy,

"Um…I don't know. Who are you?" The boy whispered.

"Hm." Vlad muttered, mostly to himself, "It appears that your memory was left behind in your old body. That works to my advantage." He stopped circling him and looked at the boy with a smile. "Ghost powers work as well."

The boy looked down and gasped as he was sinking through the table. Vlad pulled him up to sit on it once more.

"Your name is Daniel Masters, I am your father." Vlad smiled.

"Dan Masters?" He replied, "Um…ok."

Vlad couldn't help himself. He laughed and pulled the boy into a large hug, "Ah yes my boy. Now, let's see about getting you something to eat?"

Vlad let Dan up the stairs and out of the lab and over to the kitchen. A big, fat, white cat followed them. Vlad picked it up and cuddled it, before handing her over to Dan.

"Her name is Maddie." Vlad explained, "And she's basically the master of this house."

Dan smiled as the cat rubbed up against him, "Maddie? That name sounds familiar?"

"It should." Vlad smirked darkly, "She's our cat after all."

Dan laughed as the cat bumped his chin with her nose, "Where's my room?"

"I'll show you after breakfast." Vlad replied.

Dan looked around once more before entering the kitchen, "Cool."

~*~

"SAM!"

Sam groaned and pulled herself into a sitting position as Tucker ran into the room in a frenzy. She sighed. Not answering her phone usually equaled to an early morning visit. "What now?"

"Its Danny! He's awake!"

Those words lingered in Sam's mind, unable to form a logical sentence in her mind. She just stared at Tucker blankly.

He grabbed her shoulders, "Sam…didn't you hear me? Danny woke up! He's in an exam right now! They're seeing if he needs rehab or anything!"

Sam inhaled deeply, "Danny…is awake?"

Tucker grabbed her wrist and pulled her roughly from the bed, "Get dressed! I'll meet you downstairs and we'll head straight to the hospital!"

Sam nodded. She wasted no time in getting dressed and hurrying out of her mansion. But even though she went as fast as she could, she still felt like they were moving too slow. She pushed her electric scooter to the max, and grumbled every time she had to stop. By the time she burst into Danny's room, she was sweaty and tired, but all that went away when she looked at Danny, leaning up in the hospital bed.

But her happiness was short lived. She paled as she looked at him. His skin was still ghostly pale, and his eyes were blank, as if there was no soul behind them. She walked over and Danny's head followed her blankly.

"And your name is?" A doctor asked, writing things down on a clip board,

"Danny." He replied. His voice was so monotone and empty that it nearly broke Sam's heart.

"How old are you Danny?" The doctor asked,

"Sixteen."

"What is your favorite hobby?"

"Ghost Hunting."

Sam and Tucker both flinched. But the doctor just shook his head, "No, that's your parents hobby. What is your hobby?"

Danny looked at the doctor for a few seconds with those blank eyes of his, "Ghost Hunting."

The doctor sighed, "Looks like your parents got to you while you were out."

Tucker let out a sigh in relief. But there was no relief in Sam. What was wrong with Danny?

"Why is he like this?" Maddie asked for her,

"I actually can't tell you." The doctor replied thoughtfully, "Because I have no idea. But we're guessing if our first guess about the coma was correct, then whatever hit his head, must have hit him hard enough to give him brain damage."

"My son's a VEGTABLE?" Maddie screamed,

"I wouldn't say that." The doctor shook his head, "The fact that he has all his memory perturbs me. In most cased like this, a person cannot even form a syllable, nevertheless a word. From our tests his brain seems to be functioning fine."

Maddie looked at Danny, "Oh baby…if this is a joke…please stop now."

Danny just looked at her, but said nothing.

Tears spilt over Maddie's eyes and she turned away from him, as if she could not look at Danny any longer. Jack wrapped his arms around her, "How long will he be like this?"

"I can't tell you."

Jazz looked thoughtful for a moment, "I'll be right back."

Her family turned to look at her for a few seconds, before she slipped from the room. Sam followed her, unable to stand seeing Danny like that. Tucker tagged along as well.

"What's up?" Sam asked, trying her hardest to sound nonchalant,

"I'm calling Jay." She whispered,

"Where is he anyway?" Tucker asked,

"His family doesn't live in town. They own a huge mansion out in the wilderness. This hospital just so happened to be the closest one to their home. He told me to keep him posted before he went home." Jazz explained.

Suddenly Sam felt guilty. She had not even thought about Jay since he chased Plasmious from the hospital. What if he got hurt trying to protect Danny?

Actually…after Danny went comatose, Jay had helped a lot in Ghost Hunting. So that was probably why she wasn't too worried. For an In-Between, he was exceptionally powerful.

"Jayden?" Jazz asked,

"Hey!" He replied, Sam could hear his voice loudly over the other side of Jazz's cell phone,

"I have a question about Danny." She whispered,

"Shoot."

"Danny woke up, but he's not really there. Its like his body is awake, but there's no soul."

Jay was quiet for a few moments before he finally answered, "Hmm…here, I know an expert on paranormal beings. He is the guy that taught me to become a ghost by leaving my body behind. He might know what's going on…I'll conference call him."

There was a few beeps, and then Jazz heard the ringing of a phone.

"Hello?" A deep ghostly voice replied,

"Hey Chas." Jay quipped,

"Mr. Torres. So nice to hear from you…how are you feeling?"

"A little sore still, but most of the pain has ebbed since I got my body back."

"Good." Chas hissed, and Jazz had to pull the phone from her ear.

"Actually, we're on a Conference Call with a friend of mine. Her little brother was in a coma, and when he woke up, he's not really there. Do you know what happened?"

"You're little brother was in a coma?" Chas repeated,

"Yes." Jazz nodded, forgetting he couldn't see her.

"That is troublesome." Chas's voice sounded too happy as he said that, "Hm… my guess is that something happened to block his In-Between Soul from getting back to his body."

"So Danny is In-Between somewhere?" Jazz asked,

"Probably…but something stopped his soul from returning." Chas whispered, "Like for example…if it was tricked into another body."

"So he could be anywhere in the coma ward?" Jazz asked,

"No. It would have to be a body identical to Danny's for the soul to return…just speculation." Chas fell silent for a few seconds, "Just remember, just like Jay, and In-Between has no memory. The memory will stay with the body. This soul is Danny's life force, but does not know it. If you somehow manage to find him, befriend it and lead it back to Danny…the rest will work itself out."

The dial tone clicked, and both Jazz and Jay knew that Chas had hung up.

"He's a little eccentric, but extremely good at his work." Jay muttered, "He's a Ghost now. Was an In-Between, but his family took his body off life support before his soul returned. So he kind of dedicated his afterlife to research."

"Danny's still out there?" Jazz whispered,

"I guess." Jay replied.

"Joy." Sam snapped.

Jazz ignored her, "Any idea where he could be?"

Sam looked thoughtful for a few seconds, "I think I have an idea."

~*~

"I've got business to do elsewhere my boy." Vlad replied, placing the oversized Maddie into Dan's arms,

"Really?" Dan pouted, then added sarcastically, "Not again. Whatever will I do?"

"Now don't give me that!" Vlad snapped, "Being Mayor, I've got a lot of work to do."

"And I'm NEVER allowed to go." Dan rolled his eyes, "I can't see what's so bad about going to Amity Park."

"Because." Vlad snapped, "Now just stay out of trouble."

Dan gave a fake, innocent smile. Vlad laughed and patted his white-haired head.

Vlad looked into those bright green eyes of his and smiled. "I've won." A confused look crossed Dan's face, but Vlad ignored it and headed on his way.

Dan sighed and sat down on the steps, "Great…alone again." He gently scratched behind Maddie's ears, "Next time…I will just 'Go Ghost' or whatever Dad called it, and follow him."

Maddie meowed.

"Yeah. I like that ability too. Being a Ghost is cool."

Dan placed Maddie on the steps and stood up. A blue ring appeared around his middle and split, going both ways around his body. His white button-down blouse, and black jeans disappeared, revealing a black and white jumpsuit decorated with the letter 'D', his white hair floated up, and his green eyes started to glow. He smiled and leapt into the air, floating up towards his bedroom.

* * *

Duh-duh-duh! Anyway, yeah. Sorry for the delay. Two chapters are up for the delay. Wow…without Ry's help…I'm a pretty crappy writer. :( I hope she likes it anyway.


	4. Chapter 4: Skulking For Trouble

CHAPTER FOUR: SKULKING FOR TROUBLE

Four months…

In total, it was now seven months since the Phantom of the Opera incident. Seven months of Danny being a vegetable…

Luckily, the doctors found no reason to put Danny in Rehab, nor any reason to keep him in the hospital at all. Within a week, he was released.

Unfortunately though, his mental state was no different then it was before. He was still a zombie, mindlessly following them around. He did whatever they told him to do, without a single thought. It worried Sam, without his soul, anything could happen to him, and thankfully, Jazz realized this as well. They worked it out, when Danny was at school, Sam and Tucker watched over him, when he was at him, Jazz made it her personal mission to make sure Danny did not do anything stupid at home. At least Jay pitched in with the Ghost Hunting, and with Danny's parents fearing their son is a vegetable, they thankfully left him out of anything to do with their research and inventions. Dash even left Danny alone at school, claiming 'its not cool to bash on mentally handicapped kids'.

It made Sam so mad whenever they referred to Danny like that. But it was more easy to explain then he might have lost his soul. Which was their biggest problem right now. While Jay and Jazz took care of Ghost Hunting, it was mostly up to Sam and Tucker to find Danny's In-Between. At least Danny followed them through this and did not wander off. If they found it, having Danny with them would be a lot easier then trying to drag it back to Fenton Works, where Maddie and Jack would probably confuse it for a ghost.

Sam sat down on the bench and sighed, "We're NEVER going to find it."

Tucker sat down next to her with an even louder sigh, "Cheer up Sam! He's got to be somewhere in the world."

She rolled her eyes. But he was right, the chances that it could still be in Amity Park were slim.

~*~

"Great." Vlad sighed as he put the phone down.

Dan looked over at him and merrily shoved some more popcorn in his mouth. He said between chews, "What's up?"

"They need me to go to City Hall and sign some papers on the city's new water-savings plan." Vlad rolled his eyes,

"Let me guess? Stay here?" Dan sighed,

"Its too early for you to go out into the world Daniel." Vlad replied with a sinister smile, "Its best for you to sit at home and finish the movie."

"Nah. You wanted to see it too, didn't you, Dad?" Dan stated, dropping the bowl on the table, "We'll watch it when we get back."

Vlad was still stuck on the 'Dad' part, and it took a few seconds for him to realize what Dan had said. He slowly shook his head, "Daniel. Its too dangerous…"

"To go to Amity Park. I know." Dan exaggerated, "But I don't care. Maybe that would give you an excuse to finally teach me how to fight?"

Vlad made a face, and Dan laughed. The elder Halfa turned away and started from the room, "There is no need for you to learn how to fight. Now stay…"

But Dan was already gone. Vlad sighed and walked outside his mansion, and just as he expected, Dan was standing outside in 'Ghost Form'. The sight nearly gave Vlad a heart attack.

"I guess you're not going to take no for an answer this time?" Vlad sighed, folding his arms.

Dan shook his head with a smile, "Nope! Now come on! Lead the way!"

Vlad shrugged as he gave up arguing with the teenager. Instead, he turned into Plasmious and floated up to join the boy, "If you want to come, you must promise me not to 'Go Ghost in Amity Park."

Dan nodded, "No Ghost-Thing. Gotcha!"

Plasmious had a bad feeling about this, but he bit it back and led the way towards Amity Park. By the time they reached City Hall, he was almost tempted to turn around and go back.

Dan landed on the ground and turned back into his human self. He looked around the Mayor's office with awe, "Wow! Nice place here Dad!"

"I guess it is." Plasmious muttered, "Ok, I'm going to go sign those papers…you just STAY in City Hall. Got that?"

Dan gave him an innocent look, and Vlad sighed. He did not believe that look for a second.

"Stay." He repeated sternly.

Dan sighed as Vlad closed the door. He leaned back in the Mayor's chair and hummed a tune that was stuck in his head. Closing his eyes, he tried to remember his life before he woke up on that slab table, and could not. The only thing that came to his mind was that dream he had before waking up…

He had had a similar dream ever since, and that worried him. Do everyone have dreams like that? He did not know. He could only remember for four months of his sixteen-year-old life. Vlad told him it was because he had amnesia…but it did not bother him too much.

He was happy as he was, the son of a wealthy, lonely man, able to do whatever he felt like when he wanted…unless it involved Amity Park…and the ghost-powers were something great as well.

Fear suddenly gripped his chest. What if the person he was, was nothing like the person he is now? What if when he got his memories back, he wasn't 'Dan' anymore? That thought terrified him. A shiver went down his spine. No…he would not let the memories come back…he was too scared of never being himself again. What if he was a snob? A prick? A loser?

He jumped out of the chair, unable to tolerate his thoughts anymore. "I-I'm going to get some fresh air…I doubt Dad would mind if I stepped outside for a few seconds? Technically the front steps is still city hall."

~*~

"Well, we haven't looked down there in a week?" Tucker asked, pointing down an empty road. The Business District of Amity Park was never busy this late on a Sunday. Most places were closed for the night by now.

"Whatever." Sam sighed, standing up, "Come on Danny. Let's go…"

Danny followed without a word.

Sam sighed and sat down on the steps outside of the City Hall. She let her head fall down onto her lap as she fought her emotions.

"Come on Sam." Tucker said brightly, "You can't give up hope yet!"

When Sam did not respond, Tucker grimly sat next to her. Sam was half expecting Danny to copy him, and was slightly shocked when he did not.

His gaze was locked up at the City Hall. But before she could turn around and see what he was staring at, a familiar voice broke the silence. The voice was one that she had been missing for so long…

"Mind if I sit here?"

She slowly turned her head and felt her heart race. It was a teenaged boy who looked so shockingly like Phantom it startled her. Except his white hair was down and in his face, instead of sticking up from his head.

"N-Not at all." Sam stuttered.

He sat down next to her, his eyes locking on Danny.

The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds, before the white-haired boy looked away shyly.

"I'm Sam Manson." She said, holding her hand out towards him. The boy blushed and backed away from her slightly. She pushed her hand out towards him again, "I don't bite too hard."

"S-sorry." The boy muttered. His voice was barely above a whisper, and he did not look at her when he spoke, "I guess this is the first time I get to talk to someone my age…and the first time I get to talk to a girl."

"Well I'm not a girl!" Tucker said proudly, "I'm Tucker Foley."

The boy looked at them for a few seconds, and it was clear that he was gathering his courage. Finally he swallowed the lump in his throat and said, "I'm Dan Masters." He reached out hesitantly and accepted Sam's handshake.

"Dan…Masters?" Sam asked skeptically, she pulled her hand away from his. It felt so odd…it was exactly like holding Danny's hand.

Dan nodded, "Yeah…my Dad's in City Hall now…doing paperwork."

Sam and Tucker exchanged looks, and Sam couldn't help but smile. She turned back to Dan, "Do you mind taking a walk with us."

Dan's cheeks darkened, "Um…no. Dad would kill me even for being out here. I shouldn't go."

Sam stood up in disappointment, "Oh…alright then."

Dan quickly jumped to his feet as well, rubbing the back of his head shyly, "Um…ah…Sam? I-If I'm ever in town…would you hang out with me?"

"Of course. Actually…we can hang out now if you want?" She asked rather hurriedly.

Dan shook his head, "Dad should be done soon. Thank you!"

He sounded so happy to say that, that Sam almost felt guilty. But that feeling did not last long, as soon as Dan turned around to walk back into City Hall, a green ball hit him in the back. He screamed and went flying into the stairs.

"Dan!" Sam gasped, running over to him.

Dan panted as he rolled over, "I-I'm fine."

Both of them looked over and saw a giant robot hovering above them with a large jetpack. Sam growled, "Skulker."

"I have found you Ghost-Child." Skulker snapped, holding out his hand once more. A tiny gun placed on his wrist-cuff was pointed right at them, "And now that you've finally come out of hiding, its time I finally got your pelt on my wall."

"W-what?" Dan gasped.

"Move!" Sam screamed, quickly pushing Dan out of the way as Skulker shot at them.

He shot again, launching both of them into the air. They landed down apart from each other, and Skulker quickly moved in, "You're making this easy today, Prey."

Dan curled up into a ball, shielding his head with his arms, "P-Please…if your after my wallet! Take it…just don't hurt me!"

"Your wallet?" Skulker asked, raising an eyebrow,

Dan squeezed his eyes tighter together and cowered to the ground, "Please…"

Skulker raised his hand and prepared to shoot once more, but Sam quickly moved over and pulled Dan away, "This isn't Danny Phantom! Leave him alone!"

"That foolish trick will not fool me child." Skulker replied, he pressed a button to shoot, but before it launched, a green orb hit Skulker in the side, sending him sideways. Dan quickly managed to pull Sam out of the way with a yelp.

Tucker and Danny stood a few feet away, Tucker holding a Plasma Gun. He smiled and twirled it around his finger, "Bo-Yah!"

"Sam! Call Jazz!" Tucker called, pointing the gun at Skulker, "Get her and Jay over here to help!"

Sam nodded and quickly pulled out her cell phone, but before she dialed a number, she froze. Danny was walking up the steps towards them. She held her breath as he approached Dan.

The boy backed up, "L-Leave me alone!" Danny did not respond. He just held his hand out towards the other boy. Dan quickly jumped back, "Go away!"

"Don't you see!" Sam snapped, "You feel a draw towards him! I saw it in the way you looked at him! You're his soul, Dan! You're not Daniel Masters…Your Daniel Fenton. You need to go back into your body. Then you'll have all your memories, and be able to fight…"

She stopped when she saw how pale he turned. Dan backed up, "No way! No! I don't want to disappear."

"You won't disappear."

Both of them turned to look down the steps as Jay and Jazz appeared. Jay smiled at Dan, "Honestly, I was worried about it too when I was an In-Between."

Dan blinked, "Y-You were a what?"

"Its what you are." Jazz stated, "Danny told me that once he tried making a clone of Danny to get himself a son, but Danny and Danielle stopped that. I'm guessing he finally discovered how to make a clone that would survive if he put Danny's soul into it."

Dan deflated. He rubbed his arms defensively, "I won't do it!"

Jazz grabbed him by the shoulders gently. He shied away from her, but she refused to let go, "Please…I want my little brother whole again."

"No!" Tears came to Dan's eyes as he pushed her away, "I'm not going anywhere!"

"What's going on out here?" Vlad yelled, stepping out of City Hall.

"Dad!" Dan gasped, running over and hiding behind the other Halfa.

Vlad's eyes narrowed as he looked from face to face. He saw how close Danny had been to Dan and felt his heart skip a beat, "I thought I told you to stay indoors."

"I'm sorry Dad." Dan whispered, "They want me to fuse with that boy!"

Vlad gently put his hand on Dan's shoulder, "I thought they'd try that. That's why I did not want you to come to Amity Park…"

Dan clenched Vlad's sleeve tightly as Vlad turned away from him and faced the others, "Terrifying a four-month-old? That's pretty evil."

"Your one to talk!" Sam snapped.

"I know." Vlad smiled, "But thanks for the compliment."

He turned into his Ghost Form, "Now prepare to die."

Dan watched in horror as Vlad attacked the others, and they fought back. He could not watch…the thought of something happening to his father…

The three of them ganged up on Plasmious, and finally, overpowered him. Jazz held the Fenton Thermos above Plasmious's head.

"You're going away for a LONG time for this one, buddy." She growled, unscrewing the lid.

"WAIT!" Dan screamed, running over towards them.

Jazz hesitated, looking up at him.

Dan was shaking, and his skin was pale. "I-If I volunteer… to go back…together with my body…would you spare him?"

The party looked at each other, and slowly nodded.

Dan felt tears spill from his eyes, "O-Okay. I'll do it."

"Daniel!" Plasmious snapped.

Jay stood in front of him, "Alright, now Chas say's all you have to do is touch…grab Danny's hand."

Dan turned from Jay and reached out his hand. Danny copied him. As soon as they're hands touched, a blue light engulfed them. Sam smiled as the light faded and there was only one person standing there.

Plasmious stood up, looking at Danny with dismay.

"Now can we kick his ass?" Jay asked.

Danny shook his head, he looked up at Plasmious with new admiration. A love that he had no idea where it came from, "No…a deal's a deal."

Plasmious frowned and took off as fast as he could. Danny felt his heart sag, but as soon as Jazz and Sam hugged him, most of those feelings were overridden. He smiled, "Come on, let's go home…"

* * *

Ok, Quick and crappy chapter, but I was running out of time. I might do an extended version later, when I have more time. Anyway…

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!


End file.
